Remembering Gail Phillips, an iconic Alaskan figure
Mentor. Friend. Wife. Mother. House Speaker. Miner.
No matter her title, Alaska lost one of its most passionate advocates and leaders with the death of Gail McIver Phillips at age 76. From her early years in Nome to her election as the second woman to serve as speaker of Alaska’s House of Representatives, Gail’s contributions to Alaska are countless. Although she listed “miner” as her occupation when she was elected to the Alaska House of Representa- tives in 1990, she was a staunch pro- ponent of Alaska — whether it was tourism, economic development, in- ternational trade or military and vet- erans’ affairs. Gail is survived by her beloved husband Walt, their daughters Robin and Kim, and an extended family that includes two grandchildren. A service will be held later this year to celebrate Gail’s incredible life. “I have known Gail my entire life and it wasn’t till I was an adult I re- ally knew all that she has done. This was because she was not stuffy, she didn’t expect praise, she was as real as it gets. She was the epitome of the feminine genius! She did what it took to get the job done without compro- mising herself, her family, and most especially her beloved Alaska,” Ca- mille Tousignant Rzeszut said. “She was the cream of the crop in a time where women in the Alaska government/politics were few and far between. If you were lucky enough to meet Gail you stood amongst giants, the pillars of what it meant to be an Alaskan woman! Rest in Peace Gail we will keep your legacy strong!” Phillips was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 1990 as a Republican representing the Kenai Peninsula. Re-elected in 1992, she was named the House majority leader. She became speaker of the House in her third term and was confirmed to the position again in her fourth term.
Photos Courtesy Phillips Family
Gail Phillips, with President George H. W. Bush.
After a fifth term, she did not seek re-election. She served in the Legisla- ture from 1991 to 2001, and previously served on the Homer City Council and Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly. Initially a candidate for Governor in 2002, she switched to the lieu- tenant governor’s race after Frank Murkowski announced his campaign. She lost the Republican primary that year but stayed involved with politics in a variety of roles, including as a special assistant to Murkowski, pres- ident of a pro-Pebble mine group and an adviser to Mead Treadwell in his 2014 run for U.S. Senate. In addition to her political work, Phillips was known as a member of the “Old Iditarod Gang” that helped create the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. To recognize her work, the Idi- tarod named her its honorary musher during the 2020 race. Born on May 15, 1944 in Juneau, Phillips was the first of seven daugh - ters born to Lois and Wallace McIv- er. She attended Nome High School, graduating in 1962, and the Univer- sity of Alaska Fairbanks, graduating in 1967. She married her husband, Walter Phillips Jr., on Aug. 14, 1965 in Nome during a double ceremony that
also included the marriage of Gail’s sister Barbara. In addition to her work in the Leg- islature and with the Iditarod, Phillips worked for a variety of aviation com- panies, a series of mines, the Alaska Aviation Museum and as executive director of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. Phillips lived almost exclusively in Alaska, the middle of five generations of her family. Only while Walt, her husband whom she met at the Uni- versity of Alaska in Fairbanks, was on temporary assignment with the trans-Alaska (Alyeska) pipeline de- sign team, did she live in Texas (1971- 73). After coming back to Alaska in 1973, the Phillips first lived in An - chorage, and then settled in Homer in 1978. They lived there until after she left the Legislature. Phillips was also a member of the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame, which described her as someone to whom “leadership comes naturally.” “Gail is a champion promoter of Alaska and its history,” according to her HOF profile. “Phillips has always been outspoken for the rights and betterment of all people.”
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The Alaska Miner
April 2021
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